Seasons After
by maddyjade
Summary: A love planted in summer, watered through autumn, rooted in winter, to bloom in the wake of spring. Kristoff and Anna throughout the seasons after.
1. Summer

Disclaimer: I own nothing in regards to Disney's Frozen and all the rights of the characters, dialogue, etc belong to the Disney Company!

* * *

**Summer**

"Crazy last couple of days, huh?" Anna finally piped up. She wouldn't admit it to him, but watching Kristoff work around the stable was strangely endearing. She definitely wouldn't admit that she had been standing in the entrance for a full two minutes admiring him either. He was busy making Sven feel at home although it already look like he had, with the exhausted reindeer fast asleep in the corner of his newly assigned pen.

She saw Kristoff start at her sudden input, his head turning so quickly to find her he didn't realise he was standing right next to a very solid looking support beam. He seethed, hand reaching to sooth the newly tender spot hidden in his hairline. He had been lucky to escape without a concussion after his skull had made friends with a cliff face just two days ago, maybe he needed to start wearing protective gear.

Anna cringed, darting over to inspect the damage she'd done. "Sorry! Sorry, sorry, are you okay?" She asked, biting her lip in embarrassment. She needed to come up with some kind of warning to give him so these kinds of things would stop happening.

She reached her hand up to his head but stopped, remembering how he had reacted the last time she'd made that move. Anna also stopped because there was a little bit of dirt smudged on his freckled cheeks, and his shaggy blonde hair was clouding his vision, and he cast her the most heavenly boyish smile that made the butterflies in her stomach erupt. Suddenly shy and with red cheeks, Anna stepped back and tried to look at everything but him.

"Thick skull, remember?" Kristoff told her, amused. She spared a strained chuckle.

This was the first time they'd really been alone since they'd kissed, and wow, what a kiss that was. Granted Anna didn't have much to compare it to, but it had transported her to a place that made her forget all of the struggle and trauma of the past few days. To pull away and see Kristoff staring right back at her, just as shy and nervous and happy as she was, it all seemed so surreal. When Anna thought of meeting a beautiful stranger, tall and fair, she hadn't thought of someone like Kristoff. And now, looking into his shining but tired eyes, Anna had struggled to think of anything else.

Anna never knew she could experience so many firsts in such a short time period. She also never knew one of her first firsts could be an _adventure_. An adventure that froze her and thawed her at the same time, an adventure that reunited her with her sister, an adventure that brought her to her _real_ true love.

Not that she knew that yet, of course. Anna didn't want to hear the words _true love_ for a long, long time. It was her quest for true love that covered Arendelle in two feet of snow in the first place.

But there was something he sparked in her. Anna knew it was there, and she didn't quite understand it. It wasn't something she had felt with Hans, and she had been so sure that he had been the one. Anna didn't know anything about what it meant to be in love with someone but if she felt something with Kristoff that she didn't feel with Hans, then that was a step in the right direction, right?

Anna had so much to say to him, so much that she couldn't think of anything. A silence fell over them and soon grew awkward, and Anna did something she normally did, which was panic.

"So uh, yeah! Um, crazy last couple of days - I already said that - but uh, did you sleep well? Last night?" Anna asked, desperate to keep the conversation flowing. She wanted to impress him. Anna didn't exactly knew where they stood right now - were they friends? More than that? Well, that kiss obviously suggested something, but what? Anna didn't have the guts to ask.

Olaf said he loved her, and he did come back for her. Freezing and on the brink of death, she watched as he stumbled and charged his way across the ice for her, looking just as scared as she was. She couldn't bring herself to look at him as she turned away, already making her final decision. For him to come all that way, look at her the way he did, to lose her once again.

Anna pushed the thought aside. That didn't _matter_ anymore. She was there, and he was there, and they were in the castle stable on a warm summer day and there was nothing even remotely cold anywhere in Arendelle. Perfectly back to normal.

So why did Anna feel like she was melting again?

"Did I sleep well?" Kristoff repeated the question, unsure of her intentions. What a dumb thing to ask. The first _normal_ day following a marathon adventure where she _died and came back to life_, and that's what she asks Kristoff.

Anna had been so sure last night that Kristoff was going to stay in the castle with her and Elsa. After hours of ice-skating, the sun had finally started to set, and Anna was finally able to skate by herself, albeit very wobbly. She successfully made her way over to Kristoff, even though he had to reach out and grab her when she slipped at the last step.

"You're getting better." He chuckled, making sure she was steady before letting go of her.

Anna shrugged sheepishly, keeping her arms out to maintain her balance. "I've still got some practicing to do." Eyeing Sven, she shuffled over to use him as a crutch, scratching his fur thankfully.

She hadn't talked to him much since their moment on the docks. Elsa was still so anxious about meeting her kingdom and Anna helped keep her calm. While Elsa was busy talking to Kai, she took the opportunity to find Kristoff. It wasn't hard, of course.

"Did you want to stay for dinner?" Anna asked, ignoring the way Kristoff's mouth suddenly fell open. "I mean, I'm sure Elsa wants to hear all about how we found her and I don't think I've even properly introduced you two I mean, everything's been so busy, and we could find a place in the stables for Sven and there's so many spare rooms -"

Anna stopped herself at the same time Kristoff interrupted her. A sense of déjà vu fell over Anna as she remembered saying almost the same thing to Hans. She couldn't rush this.

"I mean, I'd love to, but uh... I really... I don't think that's a good idea." Kristoff gestured to himself lamely, cheeks already tinged red. "Don't think I'm really fit for a royal dinner. And I've gotta get back to my uh, place. There's probably a heap of water damage, what with the snow and all."

Oh, he had a place.

Of course he had a place.

Anna hadn't realised exactly how different they were until then. On the mountain they had just been two strangers out on a mission. Nobility didn't matter when being chased by wolves or thrown off cliffs. They were just Anna and Kristoff.

But now, back in her kingdom, Anna was a princess. Her sister, a queen. And Kristoff... as much as he meant to her, he was common. It wasn't proper, her etiquette books told her. And Anna had no doubt that Kristoff knew too well what happened to the common folk that tried to get too close to the royal family.

Anna had reluctantly said her goodbyes, told him to come back to the castle when he was ready to and she'd show him around, introduce him to Elsa, tell her their story. Anna had gone for a kiss, Kristoff went for a hug, and they had clashed at some weird place in the middle that left them both muttering apologies and sending them rushing away in the opposite direction.

"Well, yeah, I mean we've had a long couple of days. You've probably not slept at all, like you were about to when I walked in with the supplies, so..." Anna trailed off, reaching a hand up the play with the end of her braid. She watched Kristoff lean against the divide between Sven's pen and the next, and in an attempt to match his laidback pose, Anna pulled herself up to sit on top of the divide next to him.

"It's funny, really." Kristoff began, toying with the hem of his vest. "I didn't know how exhausted I was until I got home. I guess at the time there were more important things to worry about than sleep, right?" He looked up at her with a sombre smile. He must be drained.

Anna nodded. "Right. It doesn't even feel like it's back to normal yet, I don't think. It still feels like we should be up on the mountains getting chased by a huge snowman." She had been thinking about that a lot. Waking up this morning and realising she was in sheets of her own bed had been a surprise. Looking out her window to a cloudless blue sky instead of a blizzard, walking to the kitchen to see her sister eating breakfast in the dining room, Gerda rushing to find Anna to tell her some man and his reindeer were in the stables. It was too good to be true.

"Well I for one do not want to go up the mountains for a very long time. Especially since this one," Kristoff pointed to a snoring Sven, "doesn't look like he's getting up anytime this century."

Anna laughed again. It was so easy for him to coax a smile out of her, maybe that was one of the reasons she felt so drawn to him. She met him strictly by chance. Arriving at that trading post ten minutes later and she would've missed him entirely. And what were the chances that he was going to help her anyway? The chances that he would stick around? But he did. He stuck with her until the very end, and she couldn't help but wonder why.

"Kristoff?" His eyes glanced from Sven to her in an instance, the softness of her voice a cause for concern.

"Yeah?" Kristoff looked worried, and it made her realise that no one had ever gotten to know her as well as he had in the last few days. He saw her flaws and accepted them for what they were, because he had flaws too. He was the first person she could feel comfortable in her own skin with.

"Why me?" Her eyes moved to focus intently on a bale of hay. If he looked at her like that any longer she'd have no choice but to jump into his arms.

"What do you mean?"

"Like, it's the middle of the night, I assault you with bags of carrots and demand you take me up the highest mountain in the land, and I'm a total stranger... why?"

She felt his eyes on her, and then she felt his hand cover her own.

"I've never really thought about it before." Anna turned to him as he began. His brow was furrowed, searching for an answer. "And I don't really know why."

Anna tilted her head, confused, but he wasn't finished. He finally met her gaze, and he was looking at her the same way he looked at her after Elsa thawed the winter. "But I guess I do know that helping you was probably the best decision I've ever made."

It sounded incredibly cheesy, but there was an undeniable honesty to his voice that made her shy away from his gaze, resorted to a blushing mess. Never had her cheeks burned so much in her life. Kristoff brought out something in her she hadn't felt in, well, forever. She felt understood. All her life she was bending and breaking to fit the moulds of all the royals around her. She'd never had a friend. Someone to confide in, someone to show her true colours to. It was only the beginning, too.

"Thank you, Kristoff. For everything."

They looked at each for what felt like forever. She had finally been noticed by someone. And not by some charming prince, but by someone who spent their life alone, just like she did. Someone who had flaws, just like she had. Someone who looked past them, just like she did. Someone who didn't fit in, just like she didn't. She had finally been noticed by someone who understood what it was like to be different.

"Wait, no, I take it back. I helped you because I knew I'd get a new sleigh out of it."

It had been such a good moment, as well. Anna shoved him hard, jumping off the divide as she did so.

"Still feisty, I see."

Anna grabbed his arm, luring him out of the pen. "Follow me, I have a whole castle to show you! And a sister for you to meet."

"What? I can't go in a _castle_, I smell like a reindeer!"

"Oh please, you smell like that all the time. C'mon!"

* * *

A/N: I'm going to have a lot of fun with this. If you haven't noticed I like making fics with lil chap installments revolving around a theme instead of committing to a full blown chap fic but don't worry! I'm planning one, I just want to make sure it's perfect before I post anything.

Three more installments after this, they might be slow however. If you haven't noticed there's been quite a break between my last update and this, that's because uni's really getting most of my attention at the moment. That doesn't mean I'm not thinking about you guys or our star couple! Always in my heart :')

Leave me your thoughts and look forward to a new installment soon x


	2. Autumn

Disclaimer: I own nothing in regards to Disney's Frozen and all the rights of the characters, dialogue, etc belongs to the Disney Company!

* * *

**Autumn**

Kristoff was having a bad week. It was deep into autumn, and the crisp mountain air made it three times harder to cut through ice than normal, so his haul wasn't as big as it usually was. This was a problem, seeing as it was still warm enough in Arendelle that people needed ice, but he didn't have enough ice. And his sleigh had broken halfway down the mountain. And the few blocks of ice he had managed went racing away to god knows where. And everything hurt and his head was sore and Sven was just as sick of autumn as Kristoff was.

This wasn't why he was having a bad week though. This was a normal autumn for Kristoff and Sven. Easily his least favourite season.

He was having a bad week because the girl he liked was being bombarded with suitors all looking, even if they won't say it, for her hand in marriage. Suitors who go by the name of prince, or lord, or sir, or whatever the hell they want to call themselves. With their shiny shoes and slicked back hair, trained in the art of cunning smiles and clever words.

Kristoff wasn't an idiot - he knew this was coming. Young, beautiful, single and - until otherwise stated - ready to mingle princess? He'd been hanging on to his one last shred of hope that Arendelle's trade partners would be more interested in courting Queen Elsa, and not her little sister.

Of course, Kristoff's bad week matched his luck.

It hadn't been that bad at first. On the rare occasions he made it back to the palace to see Anna, who always insisted he stay for dinner, he would get the full run down of whatever date she'd been on with whatever snooty suitor.

"All he talks about is politics." Anna cried, leaning back in her chair whilst simultaneously trying to feed herself a forkful of pasta. Kristoff lazily covered his chortle at the fettuccine now covering the front of her dress. Undeterred, she continued, "If there's one thing in this whole entire universe I don't understand _it's politics_. Apparently he's got some great ideas for our export, _Elsa_." Anna scowled at her sister, absentmindedly picking her dinner off her chest. "Maybe you should hook him up with yourself instead of passing him along to _me_."

"Anna, I've told you this countless of times. We need to make stronger connections with our trade partners to -"

"- ensure the growth and prosperity of Arendelle's economy," Anna interrupted, matching Elsa's regal tone, "blah blah blah, _I know_." She collapsed over her dinner plate. "Doesn't mean I have to like it."

Kristoff didn't like it either. But that didn't matter. Because he wasn't one of her suitors. He didn't count at all, wasn't even put into consideration when Elsa played match-maker with her sister, and he couldn't blame her either.

Things were... weird between Kristoff and Anna. It made his blood boil.

There were plenty of girls before Anna, plenty of girls that he liked and girls that he didn't but it'd never take more than a week for him to get on with his life. He liked to think it'd be just as easy to move on from Anna, except for the small fact that she'd made a nice little home in every corner of his mind and she was there waiting to greet him every time he let his thoughts wander. And maybe for that reason alone he let his thoughts wander more frequently.

Was it too dumb to say he'd never felt this way before? It felt dumb. But Kristoff didn't know much about how anything _felt_ anymore. He'd repeated the word over and over again in his head until it didn't make sense, not like it did in the first place. Feelings, how he felt those feelings, why he felt these feelings, how do you make feelings unfelt? How could he reverse the clock so he wouldn't _feel_ like he was suffocating every time she looked at him? So he wouldn't _feel_ like smiling whenever she smiled? Wouldn't _feel_ like kissing her senseless each and every time her hand brushed against his?

Not feeling anything for Anna seemed a lot more preferable than the hell she was putting him through. It was also more preferable to place all the blame on her, because Kristoff couldn't accept the fact that he had no control over this situation. Over himself and how he, ugh, _felt_.

The last three months were a whirlwind of confusion for Kristoff. There were days when it felt like there could be more between him and Arendelle's princess. It had been the early days of Autumn, and the leaves had began to turn.

"They match your hair, sorta." Kristoff had told her, picking up a fallen leaf off the ground and comparing it to one of her pigtails. A burnt orange, warm and kind, just like the rest of her.

"Good to know I have crunchy dead leaf hair." Anna rolled her eyes, plucking the leaf from his fingers and tucking it into one of her braids. "I guess it does kind of match."

They walked through the castle gardens slowly as Anna listed off all the reasons why she liked and disliked autumn, pausing as she went to add more leaves to her hair. Crazy thing she was, but Kristoff found it cute.

The pair eventually came across a great big pile of raked leaves tucked neatly away in the corner of the gardens. "Bet you can't fit all those in your hair." Kristoff smiled her way.

"I have a better idea."

He didn't have enough time to ask what that idea was before she was behind him, trying to push him into the pile with all the might her little frame could muster. Kristoff didn't have to see her face to realise her determination. He dug his feet into the ground and listened to her struggles, trying to ignore the feeling of her dainty little fingers pressing into his shoulder blades.

"Just - fall - already!" She managed between her shoves. Still feisty, at least that hadn't changed.

"If you insist." Kristoff said, spinning around and falling backwards into the pile of leaves, but not before he wrapped his hand around her small wrist, bringing her crashing down with him. She screamed in surprise as the leaves erupted around them.

They were a heap of tangled limbs and laughter. Anna rested above him, the setting sun casting light through the canopy of trees above them, and her face was set alight. The green flecks in her eyes shone, and her smile was bright, and her button nose flushed pink in the cool air. Leaves stuck out from her hair every which way, but she was still the most beautiful girl he'd ever laid eyes on. He couldn't resist lifting his hand and trailing his fingers across the high of her cheekbone, and it was either his mind playing tricks on him, or she closed her eyes and nuzzled into his touch.

They stayed like that for a moment, only a moment, before Anna's smile dropped and her eyes shot open and blood rushed to her cheeks, but not because of the cold. She had gathered up her skirts and dashed off, muttering things about Elsa and how she hadn't talked to her all day and how she would see him tomorrow, and Kristoff was left there in a pile of leaf dust and a very angry gardener standing above him.

Then there were days like today, where Kristoff questioned whether she even needed - no - wanted him in her life. There was no way Anna needed him. An ice harvester? She would hate him for saying it, but he was common. It didn't work. There was nothing he could offer that she didn't already have, or was capable of getting herself.

But Kristoff had a new reason to believe Anna never had any intention of being with him, and if she did, it was gone now. And that reason's name was Prince Daemon.

It was last night at the dinner table. "Not only is he a looker - and oh my _god_ he is a looker - but he's been everywhere! He's already told me so many stories already and he's not even halfway done!"

The content on Anna's face was enough to put him off his dinner altogether. He stared down at his plate and pushed around his food. It was much better than watching the way her eyes lit up and her cheeks blushed at the thought of this guy. This _prince_. His jealously tied a knot in his stomach and his clenched and unclenched his fist under the table.

"He's a swordsman too! He was showing me some moves - oh! And he's _funny_! You really picked 'em right this time, Elsa! He wants me to show him around town tomorrow night."

He excused himself as quickly as he could. Choked his goodbyes out under his breath and escaped into the cool autumn air. He didn't even make it to the stables before the fury erupted within him like a forest fire, threatening to burn everything in its wake. His fist connected with the nearest tree, bark splintering. He seethed and yanked his hand out of the concave dent, ignoring the sting of wood slivers digging into new wounds.

He was in too deep. Kristoff was an ice harvester- common. Anna was a princess - royal. Two opposite ends of a very long spectrum and he could never catch up no matter how fast he ran. He seemed to always be running, whether it be running away or running towards. Either way he always fell short, never ending up where he wanted.

He'd already lost her once, and the realisation that he was going to lose her again sent Kristoff storming into the stable. He ignored Sven's stares as he collapsed into the corner of his pen where he stayed for the rest of the night, wrestling with his thoughts. He was exhausted.

That was last night, but this was today, and Kristoff's mood was still as grim. He had been holding up his sleigh quarter full of ice at one corner for the last hour as he and Sven made their way down the mountain. As if suspecting his mood, his trusty sleigh decided to discard one of its wheels and get rid of a good ten hours hard labour. Arms aching and covered head to toe in sweat, Kristoff collapsed as soon as they reached the stable. Utterly terrible.

Kristoff cast his gaze to the sky. Hazed in pink hues he recognised this as the time he normally went and saw Anna. Despite his shaky, aching legs, he stood up and made his way to the castle. She never seemed to mind his complete disregard of his appearance. His blonde fringe stuck slick to his forehead while the wind had swept it in a hurricane around his face. He was shiny with sweat, and no doubt he smelled, but this was Kristoff.

He stepped into the foyer and began to make his way to the stairs when Kristoff saw him. He was tall. Olive skinned. Dark hair slicked back from his face. Broad around the shoulders but slim around the waist, clad in ornate clothes that were clean and pressed. He had a strong, angular face with high cheekbones. His nose was straight and suited him well. Kristoff didn't want to say it, but his green eyes shone with a kindness that fooled even him.

This was him. Prince Daemon.

Kristoff suddenly felt two inches tall, because he couldn't compare. God be damned if he could.

"Ah, hello!" The prince greeted, voice thick with accent. He looked at him in both confusion and interest. "Excuse myself, I am just waiting for Princess Anna."

Kristoff was confused. He was... talking to him? The prince was looking at him with a bright smile that made Kristoff shuffle his feet. He couldn't even string two words together, and he didn't know if he wanted to either. He was a mute, sweaty idiot.

Prince Daemon eyed him carefully. "I am sorry, forgive me, my name is -"

"Daemon!"

The two of them followed Anna's voice to the stairs, where she stood dressed in a blue gown that clung to her sides and bared her dainty freckled shoulders. Her hair was pulled back from her face but fell in soft waves down her back. Kristoff swallowed thickly. She was beautiful. But tonight, she was beautiful for someone else.

"Anna, you look absolutely stunning." He met her at the base of the stairs and dipped to kiss her hand. Kristoff grimaced as she giggled.

Only when she drew her hand back did she notice him standing just metres away. "Kristoff! You're back!" Her smile was enough to loosen the knots in his stomach. She raised an eyebrow at the state of his hair. He quickly finger-combed through it, suddenly self-conscious.

Kristoff watched Daemon smile politely between them, and Anna's eyes widened. "Oh! Daemon, I'm so sorry, how rude of me -" her hands clutched his suited arm, "- this is Kristoff! My - I mean, um, _our _-"

Anna was introducing him.

She had been put in the position where she had to describe, in the most simple terms, her relationship with him. Who he was to her. Why he, stinking and sweaty, dressed in his worn harvesting gear, was standing in the middle of the Arendelle castle foyer.

Months of wondering, questioning, doubting, hoping. Wondering if she was thinking about him the same way. Questioning each and every one the words she spoke, the actions she made. Doubting they could ever be more. Hoping anyway.

" - ice master."

Those two words were more than he could take. Her blue eyes looked at him the same way they always did. It was true then. To Anna he was just... the ice master. A stupid, non-existent title thrown upon him as a way to recognise his apparently _noble_ deeds to the royal sisters. Anna knew the title of 'ice master' meant nothing to him. Maybe it meant nothing to her as well. Maybe that's why she said it.

Before she could see the anguish fall over his features, he turned and walked from the room. And once he was out of sight that walk turned into a run. And in no time he had gathered Sven, put on his reins, jumped on his back and sent him charging up into the trees surrounding Arendelle, shaded by the dim light of dusk. He didn't know long he made Sven run, but by the time they stopped night had well and truly fallen. The air was cool and bit into his skin, a shiver passed through him.

They had stopped in a small clearing Kristoff recognised now as a place they'd stop to camp if they didn't reach Arendelle before nightfall on his ice runs. It was a forty-five minutes away from the kingdom, and Kristoff liked that. He wanted to keep going, wanted to put all the distance he could between himself and Arendelle, but night brought out the worst in the woods. Then again, Kristoff wouldn't mind battling it out with a wolf right now. It would be better than battling his emotions.

Kristoff sat at the edge of the clearing and leant back against one of the many trees that surrounded them. Sven followed, looking at his friend with a mix of sadness and confusion. Kristoff sighed heavily and tore his gaze away from the reindeer, training his focus on a small patch of clovers. He reached out a hand and picked at them aimlessly.

"Who was I kidding, Sven?" Kristoff muttered. "She's a princess. Of course she'll be with a prince. Not... not an ice harvester. Not me."

Sven snorted his apologies and settled down next to Kristoff, shimmying his head under Kristoff's hand. Kristoff scratched him behind the ears.

"At least I have you." Kristoff said, his breath fogging in the cool air. He couldn't stay here. He had to go back to Arendelle. He didn't want to. It was too close to... her. He wanted to hate her. Hate her for leading him on, making him feel like he did. Confused and angry and sad. But Anna was beautiful and kind and her laughter chimed like bells, and he couldn't hate, let alone dislike, a single part of her. That's what made it so hard. Maybe he held on for too long. Maybe he was delusional. Maybe there was nothing there to begin with. The last term he would use to describe Anna was 'princess', but that was what she was. A cruel reality, an ugly truth. Longing tied knots in his stomach and made him draw a deep, shaky breath. He didn't want to believe it was love. He'd always thought love was a silly concept that only ended pain and torment. And from the way he was feeling right now, heart ripped from his chest and served on a plate before him, it was clear that maybe the way he felt about Anna was...

Both Kristoff and Sven's heads lifted at the noise. Hooves making their way across dead leaves. They were up in an instant, listening carefully as the... whatever it was, grew louder. Drew closer. A dim light made its way through the crowd of trees before him.

"Kristoff!" Anna's voice called from the woods. He stiffened. "Kristoff, where are you? It's Anna! God, this feels familiar. Déjà vu."

She was out in the woods, in the dead of night, looking for him. She wasn't with Prince what's-his-name, and she wasn't back in Arendelle. She was looking for him. His stomach lurched. He had half the mind to jump on Sven's back and race off, away from her, away from everything. That would be much simpler than having to face her, explain to her why he ran off in the first place.

But Kristoff decided that he had done enough running in his life.

The light of the lantern grew closer and his stomach grew heavier, each hoof against the ground sent a new bead of sweat blossoming against his hairline. He realised how cowardly he must've seemed - escaping to the woods at the slightest form of distress. Of course he doubted Anna knew the reason for that distress. That was going to seem even more cowardly to her.

Her lantern skirted the edge of the clearing. He was hidden in the darkness, and if he didn't speak up she would've passed right by him. Good thing Sven found that this was the best moment to emit a loud snort. Kristoff cringed.

"Sven?" Anna's voice came from the woods. She emerged, illuminated by her lantern. She sat atop her mare, wearing the same outfit she'd worn for Prince Daemon, except now she had drawn a thick cloak around her shoulders. He wish he'd thought of that, briskly rubbing away the gooseflesh that pimpled his exposed forearms. She looked delighted and concerned at the same time.

"Kristoff! I've been looking for you for hours! Well, maybe not hours, maybe like _an _hour." Anna beamed, attempting to dismount her horse while keeping hold of her lantern.. She landed on the fallen leaves with a content _crunch_. When she stood, smoothing out her dress, her eyebrows came together in worry. "What happened?" She asked, taking a step closer.

Kristoff instinctively took a step back, although there wasn't much place for him to go. He was at the edge of the clearing. He had half the mind to bolt into the woods behind him and escape her worried gaze. The other half was coloured red hot, her question resonating anger deep within him. What did she mean _what happened_? Could she not see? This whole thing had been _happening _for months!

His mouth set in a straight line. "Shouldn't you be with Prince Daemon?" He bit.

Anna raised her eyebrows, surprised by his tone. "What? Oh. No. Well I should be, but you ran off so quickly, I wanted to see what was wrong. And then the guards told me you were headed to the woods, and I was like woah, this must be bad."

"Well, sorry I ruined your date." Kristoff said, voice low. He didn't look at her.

Anna stepped closer until she was in front of him, hand reaching for his arm. With nowhere to move back to, he lurched from her touch, stepping sideways. Despite the dim light casting shadows across her face, he saw the hurt glint in her eyes, and it took every ounce of his might not to pull her against him, soothe her with words and caresses.

She held her hand against her chest as if she'd been burned. "Kristoff..." Her voice was soft, cautious. He glared at the ground. He hated when she used that voice. It persuaded him too easily. "Talk to me, _please_."

He didn't answer. If he spoke now he might never be able to stop.

"Come back to the castle, it's dark and cold, we can talk - "

"No." It was the first time he'd ever refused her, so tough and sternly. "There's nothing to talk about."

"What do you mean?" She always asked so many questions. He was threatening to burst. "Why? Just tell me, I don't understand."

Kristoff shook his head and bit on his cheek. He didn't want to raise his voice at her, but he had no control anymore. "That's why!" He shouted, looking her dead in her blue eyes. She was taken aback, looking at him as if he were a wild animal. But Anna wasn't afraid of anything, and her fire returned in an instance. "That's why. Because you don't understand."

"What's gotten into you?" Anna demanded, eyebrows creasing together in a frown. Her hands gestured angrily before her, lantern swaying in her grip. Shadows roared against the ground. "I haven't done anything!"

It was pointless. She had no clue. He turned and roughly grabbed Sven's reins, leading the reluctant reindeer out of the clearing. "C'mon, Sven."

"No - Kristoff - wait!" Anna pleaded from behind.

Wait. She wanted him to wait. All he did was wait. He would wait for her forever if he could let it. But there was more to life than waiting. More to life than Anna. It would rip him apart if he waited any longer.

"I can't." Kristoff murmured, turning to face her. She stood metres away, looking defeated. A stark change from the fierce girl that challenged him moments before. "I can't wait anymore." He was tired, far too tired.

"Wait for what -"

And he was far too tired of her not knowing. "For you!" Kristoff said finally, gesturing towards her. His words bounced off the trees surrounding them and came back to hit him square in the chest. He felt relieved for only a moment, before the weight of his words came crashing down upon him. "For... you, for us, for whatever this is."

Confusion passed her features, then realisation. Her hands dropped by her sides and he cursed internally. Stupid, stupid, stupid. She moved her mouth to speak, but couldn't. Kristoff wanted her to smile, laugh, run away in disgust, do anything but look so blatantly shocked.

"I..." Anna started, voice trailing off. She looked to the ground, and reached dainty fingertips to smooth a fallen lock back behind her ear. She only did that when she was nervous. When she didn't know what to say.

Now that she knew, now that he knew, he wanted to know why. "Did..." He curled and uncurled his fists. "Did Elsa's winter never happen? Did our... _kiss_ never happen?"

Kristoff had never seen Anna so terribly quiet, so terribly guilty. That was it then. That was all there was to it. He didn't want to leave her on the woods, on her own. He would lead her back to the castle, then be gone from her life forever. Anna would marry a prince, Kristoff would harvest his ice, and they'd all be happy. Maybe. But Kristoff was used to not being happy.

He grabbed Sven's reins again, told her to follow him back to the castle, or not, if she didn't want to. He tried not to look at her too much, for now it seemed too impolite. An ice harvester and a princess, hardly appropriate. Not like it ever was.

Then he felt small but strong arms wrap around his middle, pulling at him to turn around. When he did, Anna's head fell against Kristoff's chest. Tears were welling in the corners of her eyes, and she was muttering what sounded like a chorus of I'm sorry's into his tunic. He didn't know what to do. He'd never seen her cry before. Kristoff tried to wrap his arms around her, but the height difference and her position made it awkward. She was weeping now.

"Hey, hey." Kristoff pulled her back from the shoulders, leaning down to her level. He was empty, and angry, and very, very fed up but he could not watch her cry. "It's okay." But it didn't feel very okay.

"Please don't go." She mumbled, messily wiping away her tears. "Kristoff, it's not... I'm... I didn't know you felt that way." Her voice was quiet, choked.

Kristoff sighed inwardly and pulled back, but she grasped his hands before he could completely get away. "No! It's just - the suitors - all those meaningless dates I thought it was because we - because you didn't, because we weren't - !" She was getting frustrated with herself, she couldn't find the words. Kristoff had made Anna speechless. That's a first.

Then she stood tall on her tippy toes, let her lantern fall to the ground, placed her hands either side of his face and kissed him. Kristoff nearly fell off his feet. She was kissing him, him and not some prince, him and only him. It didn't take long before his hands wrapped around her back the familiar way they did months ago, in the warmth of summer. But now, in the middle of the woods, chilled by the autumn air, Kristoff found her again.

Anna kissed him like she wasn't sure she ever would again. Hungry, deep, fierce. A contrast to their shy first encounter. If their first kiss had been this direct, this clear, maybe none of this would've happened. His cheeks were wet with her tears, and he pulled her that much closer to him. He cupped her jaw, ran his thumb along her cheekbone. Everything was Anna, and suddenly autumn became his most favourite season.

* * *

**A/N:** sorry this took so long to get out! uni's been crazyy, been working on this throughout my trains rides :)

Little sappy this one, next one will be even MORE sappy, and probably the last one too. Love isn't easy folks, gotta get through the hard yards before the fluff can emerge. Does that little pile-o-leaves extract count as fluff? I hope it does haha that's all you're getting

Please leave me your thoughts ;) motivates me to write more, more quickly


	3. Winter

Disclaimer: I own nothing in regards to Disney's Frozen and all the rights of the characters, dialogue, etc belong to the Disney Company!

* * *

**Winter**

"Kristoff! Wake up!"

Anna ripped the blanket off the sleeping giant and continued to pull at his arm. Okay, so maybe it wasn't princess etiquette to have unauthorized sleepovers with the castle's iceman, but at least he had resided on the chaise. And that chaise didn't exactly accommodate Kristoff, but it hadn't taken him much persuasion. The cold walk home tied with the coy smile Anna had been practicing left Kristoff with no other choice but to stay the night.

"_It's snowing_!" Anna squealed as soon as she saw Kristoff's sleepy eyes flutter open. He groaned, moving to cover his ears but falling off the chaise instead. She rushed to the window again, hopping up and down against the sill, breath fogging up the glass. It's strange, Anna thought to herself, how only three months ago snow had covered every inch of Arendelle as it did today.

Two winters in one year. Not exactly Anna's cup of tea, sweet summer child she was, but the prospect of snow always excited her. She watched it swirl in the wind, curl into words and shapes, float gently to join the rest on the ground, on the roofs tops, melt against the full and flowing fjord. Anna skipped over a still-sitting Kristoff to her wardrobe, but not before painting a smiling face in the stain her breath had left against the window pane.

Amongst the clatter of shoes and clothes hangers she heard Kristoff ask, "You always this uh, chipper? In the morning?"

"Only when it's _snowing_!" Anna replied, poking her head out of the wardrobe to look at him pointedly. He couldn't help but spare a chuckle at the beanie haphazardly positioned over her impressive bed head. She rolled her eyes and attempted to fix it while pulling on her snow boots, not exactly the best combination. "Just get up already, we have to see!"

"Thought you'd be sick of snow by now." Kristoff muttered groggily as he hoisted himself up, feeling around the chaise for his tunic.

"How dare you speak such words!" Anna replied, plucking his boots up from near her bedroom door and chucking them at him. "Snow is always exciting!"

"Jeesh, okay, okay!" Kristoff surrendered, shielding himself from the attack. "I get used to it up in the mountains, kinda forget it's not the norm down here."

Anna nodded and drew a cloak around her shoulders. She wouldn't tell him, but she liked very much that he was in Arendelle more for the winter. With it being so cold there was no need for ice, and he was free to spend more time with her. "Well now that harvesting has slowed down for the winter maybe we can have more of play-in-the-snow days instead of work-in-the-snow days."

She heard her heart thump loudly in her ears as she watched his features soften at her words. "I'd like that." He agreed with a sleepy smile. Her smile was wider.

"Race you."Anna quipped, and she was out the door.

She knew Kristoff was never one to turn down a challenge, so she ran as fast as she could without slipping on the floorboards (she had mastered this pace after years of running through the halls and even more years of slipping through the halls). While her steps were soft and quick, she heard the familiar barrage of Kristoff coming up from behind her.

"I'm too tired for this!" She heard him groan. Anna laughed as the staircase came into view, turning to offer him a smirk.

"Don't you dare – this is a fair race!"

But it was too late. She jumped up to slide down the banister, a much quicker shortcut than the stairs. Also a shortcut Kristoff couldn't use, because he'd probably break the banister. "Says who?" She chimed.

In no time at all Anna was in the foyer, then it was only a few twists and turns to go before she was outside. She knew it seemed silly, how she ran to meet the year's first (or technically second) snow with as much vigor as she did when she was eight. But even without Elsa's powers there was something magical about winter, but she didn't like to think about it too hard. Anna could remember back to when she was little, a mess of coats and scarves and gloves, and how she would stay outside all day building snowmen and making snow angels.

The ugly truth however, in all the seventeen winters she'd seen, was that by immersing herself in this winter wonderland she didn't feel as alone as she did within the castle. So she'd stay outside until she was reigned back in, then was up at the break of dawn the next day to lose herself once more.

Anna was just about to reach for the courtyard door when a pair of strong hands spun her around and caught her in a chaste kiss. It was a warmth she hadn't felt since she'd left her bed, and just as she settled did Kristoff tear away and slip through the door, ultimately winning the race.

"Hey!" Anna called, frowning. She stepped out on to the patio, watching as Kristoff galloped through fresh pillows of snow. "That wasn't fair!"

Kristoff laughed in disbelief, ducking to quickly form a snowball between his palms. "Funny, I remember saying something similar not two minutes ago!" He chucked it idly her way, only to fall apart against the castle wall where Anna once stood.

She made her way to the stairs that descended into the courtyard, securing her cloak around her shoulders as she surveyed the space. Snow hung from the trees and dripped into mounds below, white covered the grass from one end to the other. The sky was dim in the early morning, casting the yard in purple hue. She preferred the courtyard in the summer, with all its colourful flowers and warm passing winds, but Anna had learned to love the colour white for four months out of the year.

"I suppose you're right." Anna muttered. That banister move hadn't exactly been regulation, but that was hardly reason for Kristoff to throw a snowball at her. This meant war.

Kristoff was already assembling his arsenal when Anna's foot sunk into the snow. She went to move her other foot to follow, but she found herself paralysed. She felt it flower deep in her blood, wrapping around her body the same way it did months ago. The cold was encompassing, and suddenly there was a sword above her waiting to meet its mark, and it all seemed too quick, too swift, yet it was the slowest moment of her life. The dull ache intensified, searing along her skin like how a flame devoured parchment, yet she could not scream for the cold had already caught her voice in its icy talons. Her breathing slowed and soon she could not hear her heart beating loud in her ears as it did moments ago, and just as the pain ceased did her vision turn black.

Anna gasped back to life, falling back on the steps and desperately tearing her foot from the snow. She kicked off the cold as hard as she could, crying as it showered over her, on her face, her neck, melted again her torso. Eyes widening in terror she scraped the sludge from her, scrambled up the stairs. She felt constricted, suffocated, and soon it became too much. Anna couldn't freeze again, she couldn't. She wouldn't let it. She pressed herself up against the wall, putting as much distance between herself and the snowy courtyard.

"Anna?" She heard Kristoff call. He looked worried, confused, _scared_ even. The snow dropped from his hands, and Anna ran. She couldn't stand to be outside any longer.

It was a miracle, she thought, that her tears hadn't frozen instantly against her cheeks. She took the stairs three at a time, clutching at her cloak, pulling it so tight around her it mimicked a second skin. Anna slammed the bedroom door behind her and dived under her bed sheets, still warm from where she lay moments ago. She pulled the sheets around her until she could hear nothing but the sound of her hitched breathing, yet she could still feel the cold wrapping around her heart as it did before.

Anna had never really taken the time to think about what exactly happened before Arendelle's magical winter ended. It had been a blur. Three quick steps, the raise of her arm, then nothing. Absolutely nothing. Her life had been torn from her in an instant and replaced with an emptiness that hurt to remember. She curled in on herself and pressed her face further into the pillow, stifling the sobs that followed. She hadn't told anyone, but her self-sacrifice had been terrifying. She had been dead, the life she had led ripped away like a toy from a child.

Anna thought she knew loneliness like the back of her hand but nothing compared to the way she had felt suspended in that dark catacomb. Feelings of emptiness, inanition and vacancy were not uncharted territory for Anna, but she never knew it like she did that day. To be completely alone, final and ultimate, was petrifying.

There were cold hands on her, pulling at the blankets, pulling at her, and Anna thought it was death coming to greet her for a second time. She kicked, flailed, screamed, and though her tears stung she kept her eyes shut. If she opened her eyes then it would be all too real.

"Anna! It's just me!" The voice was too warm to belong to something looking to take her away again. They gripped at her wrists, steadied her outburst. She saw Kristoff above her, brow creased in worry. Immediately her struggle ceased and she rose to meet his embrace. Despite his hands still chilled from the haunting winter, he held her tight against his chest. He whispered soothing words into her hair, brushed away her tears, left his thumbs to linger against her cheekbones. She clutched at his tunic and she was glad that he let her stay there for what felt like hours. She wondered if this it what is would've been like if she had met Kristoff across the fjord, let his warmth thaw the ice that flowed through her, let it flower against her skin, cure her of the cold. Everything about him reminded her of warmth. Chocolate dusted amber eyes, sun dyed golden hair, glowing rosy cheeks, even the light stubble that framed his jaw as a shield to the winter air.

"What happened?" He asked, voice reassuring. He cupped her face in his hands.

Anna sighed, eyes ducking to avoid his gaze. Her flashback suddenly seemed unjust; it was just some snow, after all. What an overreaction. "Nothing, it's just…" She smoothed out the fabric of his tunic where her fingers once clutched. "It just made me remember."

Kristoff pulled her hand from her chest and held it in his. She never realised how big his hands were, with fingers capable of folding completely over hers. It made her swell that she could have someone that made her feel so safe.

"Remember what? On the ice?"

She nodded.

"Anna, that's not nothing."

She knew, but she didn't want to admit it. Not to anyone, especially not to Kristoff. She had remained strong for so long, acting as if being shut out by her sister didn't phase her, acting as if being alone didn't phase her. This was just another thing to throw into the mix. But Kristoff had seen her moment of weakness first hand, and the fact that he was still here had to count for something.

"It was just so cold." Anna said finally, and she felt him tilt her chin up until she was looking into his eyes.

"Are you still cold?"

"I don't know, I guess – "

"Stay here."

Kristoff immediately got up and crossed the room. He relit the fire; let it grow as big as her smile. He filed through her cupboard, pulled out all the blankets, all the quilts he could find, wrapped them around her one by one until she resembled that of a cocoon.

He scattered pillows in front the fire, lifted her from the bed and settled them down steps away, warm cheeks matched with warm hearts. He called Gerda from the hallway, asked for hot chocolate, which arrived in moments. They always kept hot chocolate on tap in the winter.

"Are you still cold?" Kristoff asked again, holding his mug in one hand and Anna in the other.

Anna laughed. Any warmer and she would start sweating. "No, not cold."

"Good." Kristoff said finally. She watched the fire reflect in his eyes, watched it catch on every amber fleck. She had the feeling that if in this moment she was curled in anyone else's lap, the fire and the blankets would've meant nothing. She would still feel as frozen as she did months ago.

They stayed like that for a while, sipping their hot chocolate, sharing glances and whispers, enjoying the much more preferable side of winter. They made a make shift bed on the floor, Anna moving her blankets to fall over the pair of them, kicking off her boots and warming her feet in the join behind Kristoff's knees. She had never felt toastier in her life.

"Did it hurt?" Kristoff asked suddenly, twirling a lock of her hair between his fingers. He didn't have to specify, she knew what he was talking about.

"Well, yeah. It felt like burning, you know that kinda frostbite feeling. You couldn't feel it after a while, though. It turned into a kind of… ache." It felt easier to talk about it now that the shock of that morning had subsided. In fact, it felt almost therapeutic. "Like pins and needles. It was quick, but long, I don't know. It's hard to put into words."

"I guess there's not many words you can say when it comes to well… dying." Kristoff muttered the word like a disease. His eyebrows furrowed and he squeezed his eyes shut, as if he was trying to escape something. "I don't know. I don't want to think about you dying ever again."

"Me neither." Anna agreed, tracing patterns across his tunic. "I'm glad I got to stay."

"I'm glad you got to stay as well."

There hadn't been many moments in Anna's life where she felt like anyone really wanted her around. So many closed doors that no one wants to open, but Kristoff made sure he propped open his door open with bricks, nailed it open against the wall, let her come and go as she pleased with the reassurance that he'd always been inside waiting for her. He was a breath of warm summer air in the midst of a cold winter. She curled into him a little bit tighter, resting her cheek in the crook of his neck.

Anna didn't want to talk about the bad, there had been enough bad to last her a lifetime, but she didn't ask with that intention. She knew all the good things about Kristoff. She knew that he liked, no, was _infatuated_ with carrots. She knew his favourite colour was blue, not blue like the sky, but the dark, grayish blue of the mountains. She knew that he never knew which fork out of the four to eat with, but that's okay because neither did she. She knew that he loved ice, and so did she until this morning. "What was the most awful thing you've ever been through?"

Kristoff raised an eyebrow at the question, yet let his eyes draw up to the ceiling in thought. "Well, it's nothing compared to being frozen alive, I can tell you that much." He spared a laugh, only to be cut short when he found Anna's serious gaze. He cleared his throat.

"I guess it'd have to be when I uh, lost my parents." He said it so casually, as if in passing, Anna almost missed the severity of the sentence. Her eyes widened, and she back tracked immediately.

"Oh, Kristoff, you don't have to tell me about that." Anna knew what it was like, the tragedy of being orphaned. She herself couldn't even build the courage to talk about her own experiences. She had always wondered about his real family but she wouldn't push him.

"No, no. It's okay." Kristoff grinned, but it didn't reach his eyes. He propped himself up on one elbow. "I've never really had anyone to talk to about it. Besides, it might do me some good."

So Anna was the first person to hear this story. Fitting, as he was the first to hear hers. Kind of. She would normally be excited about a day full of firsts, but not like this.

"When I was little, it just me, mum and dad. Dad was an ice harvester all his life, so I guess that runs in the family." Kristoff paused, allowing Anna to match his fond smile.

"We lived up in the mountains to make it easier for dad. It was a little cottage, with a stable next to it for the reindeer, that's how Sven came about. Anyway, dad would go down into the markets everyday to sell his ice, and he'd always come home with dinner. Not much, but it was enough." Anna nodded along. She imagined his father as tall as Kristoff, his mother a few heads shorter, both blonde as anything and surrounding a bubbling stove, their little boy nestled between them. Already she wanted to cry. The most beautiful people always had the worst cards dealt to them.

"I think I was seven at the time -" Anna's breath hitched, her hand rising to cover her mouth.

"Seven?" She whispered, incredulous. Orphaned at only seven years old, and she thought she knew loneliness.

Kristoff shrugged in reply. He didn't seem like one for sob stories, and while she admired his bravery she could see straight through his facade. "Anyway, we all went down with him to the markets one day as a family and it took a little longer than expected, and we ended up riding back as night fell. Oh, and it was raining. Coincidence, right?" He chuckled lightly. Anna didn't.

"So yeah, um." Kristoff had the face of a boy who didn't know where to put his grief. "Riding at night's pretty dangerous, but I thought the reason we were hurrying was because we were getting drenched. Dad kept looking back behind us, then to mum, then back again, and no one told me anything was wrong, but looking back now of course everything was wrong.

"We hit a rock or something, and mum went flying, and dad completely freaked out. And he was calling for her, then as if someone flipped a switch, he was calm again." Kristoff looked as if he had completely detached from reality, and instead swam deep in his memories. "He held me by the shoulders and said, "Kristoff , take the sled and go home. We'll be there soon, I just have to find your mother." and I told him I wanted to wait for them, but he insisted I go home and light the fire, keep the house warm for them."

Anna, knowing where the story was headed, reached out her hand and rested it over Kristoff's. He seemed to snap back from reality, look from their hands to her. "Can't believe you're still listening." He murmured, brushing his fingers against her palm.

"Well it's a wonder you don't automatically shut down every time I start one of my rambles." Anna replied, offering him an encouraging glance. He considered her statement and searched for the right words. It didn't take long for his face to grow grim.

"What struck me as odd was the fact that he leaned down and kissed me on the forehead, told me he loved me, and mum too. He only ever did that when he was saying goodbye, like going off to work." Kristoff began speaking quicker, as if rushing before his emotions caught up to him. He sounded like he was choking. "So I went off, looked back behind me, and there were so many bright lights in the trees which I thought was odd because there was too much rain for there to be any fire. I got home, put the reindeer in the stable, lit a hearth inside. Took me a good hour to realise those 'lights' were actually eyes. Wolves, rather."

Tears swelled in Anna's eyes as she clutched at his hand. He didn't look at her, instead focused on the hem of one of their many blankets. If he looked at her, he'd probably break down as well. "That's awful." Anna said, and it was. But it didn't seem like enough.

"Don't cry." Kristoff said, pulling her close again. "You've cried enough today without me adding to it."

"What on earth did you do?" Anna asked, voice muffled against his chest. "You were so young, a-and on your own -"

"Hey, come on now." Kristoff looked down and met her eyes. "I turned out okay, didn't I?"

Anna nodded quickly. He turned out more than okay. In fact, Kristoff was the single most beyond-okay person she'd ever met. He was the only one that stuck with her since the very beginning, accepted her for who she was, awaited her flaws with open arms. Now she realised he understood her on a whole different level. He knew what it was like to be alone, and with that in common it was so much easier to be together.

She turned her head to look out the window, catching the sky just in time to see the clouds part, allowing the shining sun to beat down upon the white kingdom. The rays passed over them, adding a new layer of warmth to the room. Maybe a little bad was necessary to appreciate the good. What good is the warmth of summer without the cold of winter to give it sweetness? Even if the winter always made her remember, with Kristoff there she could always have a slice of summer.

* * *

**A/N: **Yes feel free to stone me to death (well maybe wait till I release next/final intallment) because HOLY HELLL I took forever to get this out to you guys and for that I'm down on my knees begging for mercy. Stuffs been happening, but stuffs died down now, so I have more time to work on stuff like fanfiction

okay so I said you weren't getting much fluff in the next two but maybe I meant half fluff half rip-your-heart-out-tragedy either way I think it's a good balance so please bare with me. Already finalised the notes for the next chap, will get to that when I can!

as always, leave me your thoughts! thanks for sticking with me xxxx


End file.
